


Four AM

by Zoya113



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M, Fluff, The whole gang is here :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 18:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19090951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya113/pseuds/Zoya113
Summary: Paul tries to get Emma to have some restAka Paul putting up with Emma’s increasingly feral behaviour





	Four AM

**Author's Note:**

> Something very quick based more off an idea than any sort of plot

“Four in the morning, Em?” Paul stopped her before she could leave.  
“Well yeah, I didn’t understand the material and I didn’t want to fall behind, it’s not that late really.” Emma tried to step around him but he moved to the side.  
“So you got three hours of sleep?”  
“I’ve run on less.”  
“Not since we’ve met.” He picked her up much to her dislike and carried her away from the door. “You already have a cold, if you‘re out and about from seven in the morning until midnight on three hours of sleep you’ll get even more sick.”   
“I won’t get more sick, put me down.”  
“You look awful,” he dropped her back down on their bed. “You haven’t had a day off work in forever.”   
“I can’t just call in with ten minutes notice!” Emma looked at the clock on the wall. “I’ll be late. Three hours of sleep sounds like a problem for future Emma.”   
Paul put one hand on her shoulder to keep her seated and held his phone to his ear. “Hey Nora,” he started.   
‘What!?’ Emma mouthed, trying to bat Paul’s phone away from his ear. Paul twisted to the side to keep his phone out of Emma’s reach.   
“Yeah, this is Paul, it’s about Emma,” Paul nodded his head as he listened to Nora’s reply.   
“Really?”   
Another moment of waiting.   
“Very interesting. That’s the first I’ve heard of this. Thanks Nora, I’ll make sure she gets lots of rest. Good bye.” He tucked the phone into his pocket and gave Emma an accusing look. “No work for you today. Nora said you weren’t keeping up yesterday.”  
“So?”  
“She said you fell asleep on your break?”  
“Nora is just making that up!” Emma threw her hands up. “As if I would fall asleep at Beanies, that place is gross.”  
“You can still go to class if you’re feeling up for it but you’ve been staying up too late, it’ll only make you more sick.”   
Emma stuck out her tongue at him and reluctantly pulled the blankets back up. “Fine, but I’m going to class this afternoon.”   
“Great, just make sure you get some rest.” 

———————————————————

“Hey Bill, I’m going down to Beanies. What do you want today?”   
“Well I was really thinking about a venti caramel frappe with cream but I know you don’t like giving Emma anything difficult, do you?”   
Paul shook his head. “Emma’s out sick, if that’s what you want I’ll get it for you buddy. Just the regular for you Charlotte?”   
“Oh! Why yes please Paul!” Charlotte smiled, there were bags under her eyes today. Paul decided to change her regular drink from a medium to a grande.   
“No problem. If Mr. Davidson asks where I am tell him I’m just in the bathroom, he’s started getting in on Beanies’ runs and I don’t have enough hands to carry everything back, thanks guys.” He three his jacket over his shirt and made his way down to the lobby. “Hey Melissa,” he stopped by her desk before he left. “I’m going to Beanies, do you want anything?”  
Melissa looked up from her papers and blinked. “Oh!” She startled, shooting up from her chair. “I was just about to go. I’ll handle it. You stay here. I’ll be right back.”   
“Nah it’s okay Melissa. I need the fresh air anyways. I’ll get you some tea, yeah?”   
“No, no it’s okay. I don’t need anything today. Y’know, why don’t we just order? It’s much easier and it means you can still have a lunch break later,” she suggested  
Paul shrugged. “Nah it’s okay. If we order we have to order for everyone and I can’t be bothered going back upstairs to see Ted and Mr. Davidson and everyone else. I’ll be ten minutes,” he waved goodbye, not wanting to stick around for the frantic spiel Melissa was starting.   
Winter was really setting in quick, week by week more and more people were showing up in scarves and gloves as the winter chill worsened. That was the benefits to not having a set work uniform, you could make it through winter without getting as sick as Emma.   
He pushed open the door to Beanies and stopped in his tracks. He rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm in disbelief, but he should’ve expected it by now. “Emma, really?”   
“You aren’t my mum, Paul. I’ll come into work if I want to.”  
“Did Nora really let you in?”  
“Well Nora was only working the morning shift today. I got Zoey to text me once she left and Zoey was happy to oblige because clearly it’s awful to work a four hour shift all by yourself.” Emma set a cup under the coffee machine. “Black?” She asked nonchalantly, sniffling.   
“Emma you aren’t making me coffee. You’re sick,” Paul reached across the counter and hit the button on top of the machine, shutting it off.  
“This isn’t for you,” she turned it back on.  
“Is it for you?” Paul asked.  
“Maybe,” she shrugged. “So what if it is?” Her voice was rough from her cold.  
Paul rubbed his eyes again. “You’re going to get Zoey sick.”   
“Nah, she’s in the back room for today doing packaging and stocking and everything. She’s safe,” Emma pulled a tissue from her apron pocket to wipe her nose. “Now am I making your friends coffee or what?”   
“Emma, get Zoey out here please.”   
Emma huffed and rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she vanished to the backroom with her coffee in hand, leaving her phone on the table, still turned on.   
A message lingered on the screen.

‘Paul is on his way down to get coffee, just a heads up!’ 

He groaned. Well that was where Melissa’s loyalty lay. “You told Melissa you were coming into work but not me?” He asked as Emma returned, guiding a reluctant Zoey along behind her.   
“I told Melissa to let me know if you were coming to Beanies, I didn’t tell her I was sick or she would’ve told you right away so you would make me go home.”   
Zoey knew Paul’s order list almost as well as Emma, and with a little prompting got the order under way.   
“Look, I’ve had my coffee, I’m on some meds, Hidgens won’t care if I fall asleep in class. I’m all set for the rest of the day. I got some extra sleep this morning too!”   
“Maybe you shouldn’t go to class then, Hidgens wouldn’t want you to push yourself.”  
“Well I’ll see how I’m feeling when I get home, I’ll think about it,” she told him in away that insisted she was definitely not going to think about it.  
“Alright. But just consider it though.” 

———————————————————

“Hello, Paul,” Hidgens greeted him when he walked in the front door. “She’s always been tricky, hasn’t she?”   
Paul wasn’t expecting Hidgens to be over. He paused to figure out what he was talking about. “Emma?” He asked.  
Hidgens nodded. He was sitting on the couch reading over a newspaper Paul had left out. “Sometimes she can be ridiculous.”   
“She didn’t show up did she?”  
“Oh, she did,” Hidgens set the paper down and signalled for Paul to have a seat.   
Paul sat down in the armchair across from the professor. “I asked her to text me when she figured out if she was staying home or not. She told me she was.”   
Hidgens smiled fondly, his eyes not quite all the way open but not out of tiredness but rather a content happiness. “She didn’t want you to worry about her.”  
“So did she stay for the whole lesson?”   
Hidgens nodded. “I told her she could leave anytime she wanted, she wasn’t looking well. I drove her home afterwards, I couldn’t have her walking in this weather. It was raining earlier, you know.”   
Paul nodded, his eyes flicking towards the bedroom door. “So she’s asleep now?”   
“The second she got home she was off to bed,” he whispered.  
Paul only now noticed the hushed voice the professor spoke in. He lowered his to match. “Thanks for that, Hidgens. You didn’t have to.”   
He laughed quietly. “No, it was my pleasure.”   
“Hey guys,” the bedroom door creaked open and Emma walked out, her blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her eyes heavy. “It’s gonna rain soon,” she announced drowsily. “Do you guys want to go out for dinner?” She asked, coughing.  
“We aren’t going anywhere,” Paul marched across the room and scooped her up in his arms. “You’re going back to bed.”  
“Hey!” She growled. “I don’t have to be asleep!”   
“You’re supposed to sleep when you have a cold, Em.”   
“Or what? I’ll die?” She huffed.  
“You should pick your fights,” Paul told her. “And this isn’t one you should pick.”  
“I’d pick all my fights if I could.”   
“I know.”   
“D’you that I wish it was legal to fight customers sometimes.”   
“Go to sleep,” Hidgens frowned, following up closely behind Paul. “We’re starting a new area of study tomorrow morning. It’s best you’re awake for it.”   
He put her back down on her bed. “I’ll let you know when dinner is ready. You better not be up until then.”   
“I’ll kick your ass,” she warned, already yawning.   
“Yeah? Threatening,” Paul chided, watching her drift off. “You can kick all the ass you want once you get some sleep.”

**Author's Note:**

> You know there isn’t much stuff about Charlotte out there so I think sometime within the week I’n gonna give Charlotte the representation she deserves I have some ideas but if anyone has some request please feel free to let me know !


End file.
